Cruiseline.com Awards 2014 - Entertainment

Norwegian Cruise Line’s variety also appeals to all ages: Water slides, bowling alleys, video arcades, and sports courts can be found on most ships, but we especially love the new ropes course on Norwegian Getaway and Norwegian Breakaway. We dare you to walk the plank, 180 feet above the water.

Disney Cruise Line snuck into the third slot for its great water features. Adults and teens line up to ride the four-deck-high AquaDuck slide on Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy, and toddlers get their own dedicated fountain parks to splash in. Plus, the line offers character meet and greets, shipwide scavenger hunts, a proper adult-only pool, and current Disney flicks shown in an actual theater. 

Norwegian Cruise Line stages the caliber of productions that make you want to hurry up and finish your dinner already. From the thunderous drumming of Blue Man Group to the magic tricks of Illusionarium and the soulful crooners of the Grammy Experience™, there’s something to applaud every night.

Carnival recently raised the bar on its evening entertainment: Acts at the Punchliner Comedy Club include both family-friendly and “blue” sets from a rotation of comedians. The new Carnival Live brings big-name singers and bands onboard some sailings. And while the stage shows may be short and glitzy, it’s the line’s karaoke — backed by a live band! — that’s hard to beat.

Carnival doesn’t brand its vessels as “Fun Ships” for nothing. Take a walk around, and you’ll encounter bars such as the Redfrog Pub (which serves its own signature brew), EA Sports^® Bar, and Alchemy (where you can find a prescription for whatever ails you) that verify it’s more than just talk. Not surprisingly, on these youthful and energetic ships, you can get down and dance until dawn — or at least well into the night.

Norwegian Cruise Line’s bars and nightclubs score high on personality: Throw back a chilled vodka shot in the below-freezing ice chamber (brrr) of the Svedka Ice Bar, or sip a freshly muddled mojito in an outdoor lounge and feel transported to South Beach. Alternatively, you can sample one of more than a dozen whiskeys at Maltings or burn up the dance floor at the high-wattage club, Mixx.

Not to be outdone, Disney was the first to debut a shipboard “watercoaster” — called AquaDuck — which twists and turns for 765 feet, dropping four stories from the top deck of Disney Fantasy and Disney Dream. There are a handful of other water-focused diversions on the line’s various ships, but we especially appreciate the toddler-friendly Nemo’s Reef splash area and the kiddie pool, which is courteously emptied out and restocked with fresh water a couple of times a day.

Norwegian’s Breakaway-class ships elevate at-sea water parks to new heights. The two ships’ top decks are loaded with five full-size water slides, including the first free falls at sea. Afraid of heights? Stick to the Nickelodeon®-themed Kids’ Aqua Park, which has its own slide and random squirting spots that conjure squeals of delight from the tiniest passengers and their photo-capturing parents.

Royal Caribbean has micromanaged family cruising down to every hand-picked partnership, like those with Crayola and Fisher-Price. Parents can preorder items and, once onboard, drop off their wee ones in the nursery for as little as $6 an hour. Better yet, new moms and dads can learn critical bonding exercises through the line’s Royal Babies^® interactive playgroups, so parents needn’t feel guilty that they didn’t spend quality time with their newborns while watching the Mediterranean go by from the lido deck.

Leave it to the British to hire certified, proper nannies to look after the ships’ precious cargo. At no additional charge (seriously!), parents can deliver kids as young as 2 years old to Cunard Line’s Play Zone, where they engage in scavenger hunts and arts and crafts. A nightly kids’ meal is served so that parents can enjoy formal dinners without their squirming heirs apparent stealing the spotlight. And get this: Curfew isn’t right after dinner here, as it is on many ships, since the night nursery (for babies aged 12-23 months) doesn’t close until 11 pm.

The options on Royal Caribbean are not as overwhelming as those on Disney, but they hone in more on specific interests — such as meteorology, dinosaurs, and art — cleverly injecting learning opportunities into hands-on projects that connect children to the ports they’re visiting.

Talent shows, face painting, scavenger hunts, dance classes, indoor beach parties, and video game tournaments are just a few of the activities in Camp Carnival’s arsenal. And the recent addition of the Dr. Seuss Bookville^® reading venue (and themed character brunch, complete with — you guessed it — green eggs and ham) and marine-themed Camp Ocean aboard Carnival Freedom continues to prove the brand’s dedication to onboard fun for all ages.

Teens can stay active all day long onboard Norwegian ships, whether playing a game of Ultimate Frisbee^®, riding water slides, or making their way through the ropes course. There are also educational fashion and theater workshops designed just for them, as well as pool parties and movies under the stars.

Just how cool is Disney’s indoor/outdoor teen-only space, Vibe? It’s more chic than some adult lounges we’ve seen at sea. On top of a huge private sundeck and a media room with a 103-inch LCD screen, the hangout features awesome individual pods where kids can watch movies on their own private screens or play video games.